Bio-diversity Heritage Sites – Tonglu and Dhotrey forests

Sandakphu, where tourists can reach only through Tonglu and Dhotrey forests. File picture

Darjeeling, May 28: Tonglu and Dhotrey forests in Darjeeling have been declared Bio-diversity Heritage Sites (BHS) by the state government and the West Bengal Bio-diversity Board.

Across India, there were only five BHS before. They are Nallur Tamarind Grove, Hogrekan, University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore and Ambaraguda, all in Karnataka, and Glory of Allapalli in Maharashtha.

According to the National Bio-diversity Board, the onus of declaring a bio-diversity heritage site lies with the state government and the state’s bio-diversity board. The area to be declared as the BHS has to be unique with ecologically fragile ecosystem and rich bio-diversity.

According to a notification issued by the state government, the Tonglu Bio-diversity Heritage Site will cover an area of 230 hectares and would consist of Tonglu, Kankibong 3 and Kankibong 4 areas. Similarly, Dhotrey Bio-diversity Heritage Site will be spread over an area of 180 hectares and will cover Selimbong 3, Selimbong 4 and Kankibong 1 areas.

Tonglu and Dhotrey are contiguous and are on the border with Nepal. The two sites, situated about 40km from Darjeeling, lie on the fringes of Singalila National Park. One has to pass through these two areas to reach Sandakphu and Phalut, which are well known tourist destinations.

V.K. Dubey, divisional forest officer, silviculture (hills), said: “Following the notification, an inventory (of the bio-diversity) in the two areas would be prepared. Herbal nurseries will be set up for better conservation of plants and efforts would be made to further protect the area.”

Sources in the forest department said both Tonglu and Dhotrey were known for medicinal herbs. “Even though the Indian side is well conserved, the border is porous and one cannot rule out people crossing over from Nepal to collect herbs,” said another forest officer.

The area, according to the officer, is known for medicinal plants like aconitum, berberis, taxus baccata and podophyllum among others.

“Our source information indicates that many people from Nepal cross over the porous border to collect these medicinal plants and there is word that one kilogram of aconitum fetches anything between Rs 12,000 and 15,000,” said an official.

Following the declaration of the BHS, collection of plants, animals and microbes from the two areas will be strictly regulated. “There would be an increase in manpower in the two areas,” said the official.

Another officer said: “We still do not know how many medicinal plants can be found there. Moreover, after research, one might find medicinal values in some plants, which have not yet been known.” TT

FLASH NEWS

West Bengal Govt. to form Namasudra Development Board within a month’s time, Bengal’s largest Dalit community Namasudras, many of whom are post-1971 migrants from Bangladesh. Some 17 ethnic development boards have been formed by Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts for the different communities of the hills. 35,214 total views, […]

With the tripartite talks failing in Uttar Kanya, the Joint Forum of Tea Trade Unions have called for a three-day bandh of all tea estates in Terai and Dooars in the plains and stopping of tea dispatch in all the tea gardens of the Hills. They also started a sit-in […]

UNESCO has expressed its displeasure over the maintenance of Darjeeling’s toy train and the closure of some stations due to the shortage of manpower and poor maintenance. 39,827 total views, 5,930 views today Comments comments

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung on Saturday claimed that the West Bengal government was secretly measuring land in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal to settle those people who names would not eventually come up in the final list of National Register of Citizenship (NRC) 39,824 total views, 5,929 views […]

Four youths, Lakhu Subba, Wangdi Tamang, Kamal Mothay and Bigesh Mothay, all in their early 30’s, were arrested on Sunday on charges of raping the 16-year-old. 39,752 total views, 5,929 views today Comments comments

DT Archives

Sponsored

Apr 27, 2018Comments Off on Meet Aqui Thami from Darjeeling, whose travelling library is putting the spotlight on women’s books

‘Sister Library’, founded by the artist and activist, is going to several cities and sparking conversations around the representation of women in literature. Aqui Thami is an artist and activist from Darjeeling,...

By: Jyoti Thapa Mani [Gorkha History writer] This profile of Capt. Ram Singh Thakuri was compiled by eminent Gorkha history writer Ms. Jyoti Thapa, who meticulously curated this profile over the past 12 years, and used...

Feb 04, 2015Comments Off on Gazette Notification on issue of Citizenship issue of Gorkhas

Gazette Notification on issue of Citizenship issue of Gorkhas (Published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary Part – I Section 1 dated the 23rd August 1988 ) No. 26011/6/88-ICI Government of India Ministry of...